by samir, on November 06 2017

PHP is one of the best server-side scripting languages that has managed to garner accolades over the last two decades. Dedicated PHP developers are the ones who have been able to highlight the beauty of this language by producing results that are plausible in nature. Apart from their efforts, there are certain characteristics that define the authenticity of PHP.

What makes the PHP language so popular?

Let me take you through some of the attributes that coin up the popularity of the PHP. A world that is all decked up with glam and glitter, this scripting language managed to steal hearts with its modesty to understand and implement. Diversity is yet another important attribute that is admired as the web solutions beautifully glide through all major platforms with much ease and tranquility. Encourages speed in the development process, flexibility, scalability, distinct frameworks to make development easy and top all these the end results are laced with excellence. Apart from these, it is also famous for one more thing; a vast standard library.

PHP libraries to the rescue

Yes, PHP gives access to its open source library that makes development a less cumbersome process. This collection of interfaces and classes has proved to not only eradicate the limitations that the developers have to deal, but also makes the entire process effortless by reducing the development time. Talking about PHP libraries, there are bounteous of them floating in the market that are all designed to make things easy for the developers. With so many in sight, it sometimes becomes difficult to hunt down the best or find the most relevant ones. Let me introduce you to some of the most essential PHP libraries that should be taken into consideration.

Take a dive into the list of the 18 PHP libraries that should not be given a miss:

1. Akismet

Akismet is used to compare comments with the current database comments that will help to identify whether the comments are spam or not.

2. Alice

With Alice, you have an upper hand when it comes to generating fake data. This data is used for either developing or testing purpose. Having said this, it also provides access to certain tools that help in generating complex data in a manner that can be read and edited.

3. dBug

A tool that resembles the PHP version of ColdFusion's sfdump. When you use the tool you will encounter outputs that are colored and well-structured tabular variable information. Talking about stylesheets and tables, they can be amended as per the requirement. Moreover, it also emotes the ability to force certain types of output.

4. Dispatch

Dispatch is yet another eminent PHP library that is used to define URL rules. Talking about its stature, it is pint-sized yet powerful enough to organize your website. Moreover, to magnify its functionalities you can very well harmonize it with other PHP libraries at any point in time.

5. Faker

Faker lets you get hold of the fake data to either bootstrap your database, craft XML documents or uncredit the data procured from a production service and more such functions can be carried out by Faker.

6. pChart

Want to spawn an anti-aliased chart or picture straight from your web server? Use the pChart to make this dream come true. Talking about charts, you can make use of pie charts, scatter charts, etc. to display the data. This library stands true to the web standards, augmenting the web2.0 apps.

7. Goutte

A tool that endeavors an API beneficial in scrapping websites along with extracting data that is authorized under the MIT license.

8. Gifcreator

Want to lay your hands on animated Gifs for your websites? Gifcreator would be the perfect tool. All you need to do is intimidate the duration along with providing multiple images.

9. Hoa

A fully loaded library that allows bridging the gap between research and industrial worlds. It is a modular, extensible and a structured PHP library that makes development a smooth process.

10. HTML Purifier

Want to wash away all malicious codes from your development? HTML Purifier to the rescue. It is an HTML purifying library that safeguards your code from XSS attacks.

11. IniScan

IniScan is a tool that is used for scanning php.ini file for common security practices. Apart from looking into the security errors, it also reports back the results.

12. Opauth

With Opauth you can cut down inconsistencies among providers, ensuring to introduce a uniform way to deal with such disparities.

13. PHP text to image

PHP text to image is used to amend a text into an image. As the name suggests this can be used to convert text to images proficiently.

14. phpDocumentor

phpDocumentor is used to propagate documentation straight from your PHP source code. This tool can be used to automate the documentation procedure, making it easy for the developers. It can also be used for customized documentation such as linking documents, tutorials, etc.

15. PHP thumb

A PHP library is used to make life easy for the developers by allowing them to create lucid thumbnails with the minimal use of codes.

16. PHPGeo

A tool that is used to measure the geographical distance between coordinates with immense precision.

17. Purl

With Purl you can create effortlessly spawn URL instances and chain methods together after you have finished spawning the URL. To be precise this is an Object Oriented library for URL manipulation.

18. Snappy

A PHP library that allows you to initiate PDF, thumbnail as well as a snapshot from a URL or an HTML page.

Final Note

Above-mentioned are some of the important PHP libraries that help a developer in creating eccentric web solutions. Making use of libraries in the development process not only places your work with excellence, but also makes the entire process worth the efforts. Dedicated PHP developers are the ones who never give up on excellence and makes sure that apart from hard work they also induce possible tools and equipment that help with the development.

Samir

Samir Patel is a staunch believer of quality and possesses 4+ years of experience working in IT domain in total. He has a strong hold in the MVC frameworks mainly in CodeIgniter, CakePHP, and Zend. Moreover, he also has a thorough knowledge of...